Schneider has about 30 games on his NHL resume. This is just a case of everyone thinking the backup QB will be better because he comes into the game with no pressue in mop-up time.

Luongo is a Vezina candidate and was the second best goalie in this playoff. Tim Thomas played like Superman. This just means that Luongo is human, not that he’s suddenly a crap goalie. No doubt it wasn’t his best series, but have some perspective. The only way he gets that final win to take the cup is if his team shows up in those 4 losses too.

]]>By: dirtydog57http://nhl.nbcsports.com/2011/06/16/what-went-wrong-vancouver-canucks/comment-page-1/#comment-12779
Fri, 17 Jun 2011 17:27:47 +0000http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=40617#comment-12779I have a different view of what really happened in the Stanley cup playoffs!! What is the end result for the owners of the teams; the cup; nooo; the all mighty dollar.!!! How much can they make by stretching each series to seven games. Could a team like the Canucks who played so well through the year be blown out in a lot of the games like they have been. Keep placing Luongo between the pipes when he kept letting the pucks in. Give Schnieder a try. They did once and he did great but nooo; back to Luongo. If you noticed when showing the Canucks in the change rooms there was no excitement . There is more to it why they didn’t play to there expectations.
]]>By: Chris Rosshttp://nhl.nbcsports.com/2011/06/16/what-went-wrong-vancouver-canucks/comment-page-1/#comment-12748
Fri, 17 Jun 2011 07:55:04 +0000http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=40617#comment-12748The game was just not a good one for the Vancouver Canucks. I think it showed in the end that the Bruins really deserved the cup more than the Canucks even though Vancouver was supposed to be the better team. If they were the better team they sure didn’t show it by getting shalacked in 4 out of the 7 games. Not being able to score any goals, no matter how good a goalie is playing, is absolutely inexcusable. Canuck fans at Rogers Arena wanted a reason to cheer in game 7 and they didn’t get one. It was a sad way to end an unbelievable season for the Vancouver Canucks. It’s going to be interesting to see how they react in the off-season.

]]>By: justinleonhttp://nhl.nbcsports.com/2011/06/16/what-went-wrong-vancouver-canucks/comment-page-1/#comment-12731
Fri, 17 Jun 2011 03:05:10 +0000http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=40617#comment-12731It’s simple. Defense wins championships. The Bruins proved that, They basically shut down all of the Vancouver scorers.
]]>By: nhlbruins90http://nhl.nbcsports.com/2011/06/16/what-went-wrong-vancouver-canucks/comment-page-1/#comment-12721
Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:08:32 +0000http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=40617#comment-12721You could make the same case against Chara being captain. He’s not as animated in front of the cameras either. Like he said though, he wasn’t the only leader in that room, they shared the leadership role (Patrice, Thornton, Recchi). Maybe that’s what the Nucks need to do.
]]>By: warpstonebchttp://nhl.nbcsports.com/2011/06/16/what-went-wrong-vancouver-canucks/comment-page-1/#comment-12718
Thu, 16 Jun 2011 22:08:10 +0000http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=40617#comment-12718I suspect the only reason they didn’t give Kesler the C is because he doesn’t make the best frontman during a media scrum. He’s better off not having to shoulder Henrik’s post-game load. He’s still a leader without the C.

Give Henrik and Daniel a break. They were accountable after every game and answered every question thrown at them.

]]>By: dongaudreauhttp://nhl.nbcsports.com/2011/06/16/what-went-wrong-vancouver-canucks/comment-page-1/#comment-12717
Thu, 16 Jun 2011 21:06:49 +0000http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=40617#comment-12717Yes, Kessler showed up. He should have been given the “C”. I think the Canucks got lulled into a false sense of security and couldn’t adjust to a team who played shut down defense. They had no space to use their speed and no there was a Bruin right on them before they could gain the initiative on offence. They hadn’t paid for all the flopping and questionable hits until this series. The biggest mistake they made was sending out a message of arrogance looking down their noses at the lunch pail, blue collar, not flashy Bruins. There couldn’t have been better bulletin board material than Luongos dopey comments which only motivated a team that was already feeling disrespected by comments coming out of Vancouver to make him eat his criticism of Thomas. I also know Horton is highly liked and respected by the team and they were enraged that he would be on the sidelines due to a 2 second late hit. So the Bruins basically said “so, you want to play a physical style eh Vancouver?” The Bruins don’t play well unless their backs are against the wall EXCEPT when they face a team that thinks they’re superior like Montreal or Vancouver. Then when you add the biting, late hits, vicious hit when “touching up” on an icing call, flopping trying to get a penalty, whining to the refs, saying “I’d hit Horton the same way” if the chance came up….. well, they were easy to hate I would guess if you were a Bruin. Hey Luongo, take your elite attitude and put it up your………
]]>By: apostasyusahttp://nhl.nbcsports.com/2011/06/16/what-went-wrong-vancouver-canucks/comment-page-1/#comment-12715
Thu, 16 Jun 2011 20:44:21 +0000http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=40617#comment-12715I think this series turned on the NHL not suspending Burrows for biting. He came back to score in game 2 and that was the last the B’s were having of it. The B’s were forced to take the series into their own hands and they came up big.

I say leave Luongo out of it. It’s not his fault the Canucks couldn’t score. If Luongo wasn’t in the crease for the Canucks then they wouldn’t have made it to the finals in the first place. Luongo has a incredible save percentage and is gold medal winning, can’t argue with that. I’m tired of the talking heads blaming the goalie for losses on a team that can’t score.

The B’s took it to the Canucks and the Canucks were skating in circles. Can’t block shots when you are dizzy!!

Thanks to both teams for an awesome playoffs! Congrats to the B’s for the win, you all deserved it!

]]>By: homelanddefensehttp://nhl.nbcsports.com/2011/06/16/what-went-wrong-vancouver-canucks/comment-page-1/#comment-12712
Thu, 16 Jun 2011 20:29:21 +0000http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=40617#comment-12712I agree completely about Kessler, he manned up in this series and I gained a lot of respect for him. Malhotra impressed me too.
]]>By: nhlbruins90http://nhl.nbcsports.com/2011/06/16/what-went-wrong-vancouver-canucks/comment-page-1/#comment-12698
Thu, 16 Jun 2011 19:39:12 +0000http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=40617#comment-12698The Canucks are a great collection of players. They all have great resumes. A great regular season. They took the B’s to seven games, which suggests the series was closer than it was, IMHO. What they lacked was the intangible X factor that any championship team has to have. Call it heart, courage, grit, determination or any and all of that. The B’s had it, the Nucks didn’t. That’s clear on the morning after.

The three games that the B’s lost in Vancouver were lost by one goal. If not for the momentary mental lapse by Thomas in the OT loss, the series probably wouldn’t have made it to seven. The losses by the Canucks in the TD Garden were blowouts, all three. The B’s were clearly the better team, and under-estimated by so many.

Anybody who closely watched them all season long gradually saw the X factor develop in them. Although they had an irritating habit of turning in bad performances when expectations were highest, which was a concern, they also had brilliant stretches along the way. The team had all the pieces in place, from Thomas on out. Chara and Seidenberg are fearsome and McQuaid is just beginning his long run here in Boston. And that’s just three on the backline.

Across four lines, the B’s impressed from night to night. The big names of course, but get a load of that rookie Marchand. Emotional, a little wild at times, an instigator, but damn he makes it work. Especially when it counts. He’ll have a long run in Boston. The opponents will hate him, the faithful will love him. And he won’t bite anyone’s finger. I guess the B’s saw the X factor in Marchand when they drafted him. Somebody did their homework.

Campbell, Paille, Thornton … what can you say about these guys. They had an amazing game seven. Campbell has been disparaged over and again, only because of his last name. And yet, he just plays through it all like a pro. Thornton is the heart and soul of this team, and Julien knew exactly when he was needed most. Paille did some incredible pk work out there. Your best players have to be their best (thank-you Tim Thomas) , but you can’t win a championship without these guys.

Who needs a short, balding, 43 year-old graybeard on their team? Thirty teams do. Pity the rookies and young players thrown into rough and tumble of an NHL season without the influence of a Mark Recchi. Here’s hoping he finds a management spot here in Boston. If not next season, then maybe down the road.

Patrice! When they gave him his big contract, there were a few mumbles that they over-paid. BAH! If you ‘over-pay’ one player on your team, then make it Patrice Bergeron. There can be no better successor to the great Ray Bourque than Bergeron. That was obvious from the first day he got here. Did he play his best when it mattered most? Damn right.

I could go on and on, from what this meant to Cam Neely and everybody else, but it would take too long. This is a special group of guys, and a real team from top to bottom. It’s gonna be a fun parade through Boston.

What did the Nucks lack? Well, if one piece of video summed it up, it would be the shot of Marchand wiping the face of Sedin over and over while he just took it like a rag doll. What was he thinking? The twins are great players, but they just lack a certain grittiness to play the North American game in the playoffs. The need to take some lessons from the great Peter Forsberg. Now there was a guy who knew what it took to win.

Luongo? Well, the problem begins and ends with his contract. From a business standpoint, that is sheer insanity. Find the management guys responsible for it, and fire them (because you can’t fire the owners, and they must have signed off on such a deal). Your stuck with him. He can’t win the big games. What do you do? Hope for the best.

Burrows has a lot going for him, and I can see why any team would want his skills, but he needs to grow up some. Flopping for penalties is embarrassing the league as a whole, biting is … oh geesh, enough’s been said. The Nucks should wake up tomorrow and see that this sort of player is not championship caliber.

Seeing the shot of Ryan Kesler just after the game was over made it clear, this guy is a winner. This is the character around which you build a champion. Clearly, he should be the captain of that team. The courage and heart that it took to play injured, and at the level he did … well, that’s what it takes.

From top to bottom, it’s gonna take some work to fix the Canucks. A collection of skills don’t win championships. The B’s have it, and this team will be around for awhile. We are lucky here in Boston.

]]>By: homelanddefensehttp://nhl.nbcsports.com/2011/06/16/what-went-wrong-vancouver-canucks/comment-page-1/#comment-12693
Thu, 16 Jun 2011 19:25:26 +0000http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/?p=40617#comment-12693“Vancouver will again be a top team, but until they get a bit tougher mentally and learn to knock it off with the overly dramatic play to win calls from the officials, life will be that much harder for them”

You said it all right there. I will first say that I am a Bruins fan. But I totally believe the Canucks are a more skilled hockey team than the Bruins are. I will told many of my friends that the Canucks would have won this series if they just came out and played clean, hard nosed hockey. But they took maybe cheap shots, bit players, dove, dove, dove repeatedly, and continuously whined about the Bruins players, the league, and the refs.

They literally poked the Bear until it got so pissed it fought back. The Bruins had their best games this year when teams tried to take liberties against them. They completely blew out teams like Dallas, Montreal, and Nashville in regular season games where their opponent tried to get tough with them.

I firmly believe the extra motivation from guys like Burrows, Lapierre, Luongo, etc propelled the Bruins in this series.